In Sickness and in Health
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne's kind gesture to stay with Niles in the hospital touches him deeply but he can't help but wonder if Daphne's caring nature is of a friendly nature, or something deeper-something that neither of them ever imagined before. A sequel to Kristen3's "The Best Medicine".


**This is a sequel to "The Best Medicine" by Kristen3, and true to my nature, I've taken it into a slightly different direction than I'm sure she intended. But I owe tons of *Hugs* to her for writing such a sweet story and encouraging me to continue it!**

Daphne blinked back tears as she returned to the hospital room from the nurse's station. It was ridiculous to be crying like this. Niles was awake and she knew that he'd be just fine.

The drugs that had flowed inside of him for the past several hours had worked wonders for his health, but the memory of how pale and fragile he'd appeared tore at her heart. He was such a good friend to her so it was only natural that she would be worried about him.

But there was something different about last night. Niles illness left her feeling helpless. She was a health care professional and he could have been able to do something for him.

But the illness was more even anyone could handle, which meant that a hospital stay would be required. When he'd awoken after having slept for so long, she couldn't ignore the relief and happiness that filled her, knowing that he was much better. He was smiling, happy and the color had returned to his face.

But she couldn't stop thinking about how worried she'd been. And the tears spilled onto her cheeks so quickly that it was becoming more and more difficult to brush them away.

As she stood outside of his door, she could see Niles clearly through the tiny window. He'd fallen asleep yet again, but it was no surprise at all. Most likely the drugs were taking a toll on his body, but he looked so peaceful; like he didn't even mind.

The sight brought a smile to her face and she dried her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she'd been crying. If he suspected that she was crying because of him, she knew that she'd never be able to explain herself.

Her hand trembled as she slowly opened the door and walked into his room, trying hard not to disturb him. And as she'd done before, she sat down in the chair beside him and took his hand.

Looking at him now, it was hard to resist brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. But the small gesture caused him to stir; his eyes opening ever so slowly. And once again she felt a flash of guilt for disturbing him.

"Daphne..."

She gave him a warm smile. "Someone should be here soon to check on you. How are you feeling?"

"A little tired." He said weakly.

"Well, that's understandable, but you look so much better. Oh... not that you looked bad...before."

She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and she was sure that he noticed. But if he had, he remained quiet.

"Did you want something more to drink?"

"Sure."

She held the straw for him and found it hard to hold her hand steady while he drank.

"I'm sorry it's not a sherry or a glass of wine, but they tend to frown on that in hospitals."

It was meant to be a joke and she was sure that he would laugh, but to her dismay, it was as though she hadn't spoken at all.

She knew that she should continue talking, to get him acclimated to his surroundings again, but now she found herself at a loss for words. But as it turned out, no words were needed. Instead, they sat in comfortable silence, but she couldn't ignore the thoughts that were racing through her head.

"Daph-ne?"

At once she turned her attention to him.

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Daph-ne..."

She moved even closer, holding his hand tighter than before, completely unaware that she was stroking his hair with her free hand.

"I'm here..."

"Can I... ask you something?"

"Of course. You can ask me anything."

"Why are you here?"

The question took her aback and she wasn't quite sure how to answer. It was the second time he'd asked, and she couldn't help but worry that the illness might have affected his memory in some way.

But she kept her fears to herself, for she certainly didn't want to frighten him. He was already frightened enough.

And who could blame him, having an illness that should have been quelled by over the counter medications only to wind up in the hospital.

Maybe he was still a bit disoriented, and had simply forgotten that they had discussed her reasons for staying only moments before.

"Oh... Well... you're my friend, Dr. Crane. And... I hated the thought of you waking up to find that you were all alone. Your father and brother were here earlier but hospitals make your brother uncomfortable because..."

Her voice trailed away, leaving her thought unspoken.

"But anyway... I thought I should stay..."

"Is that the only reason?"

At the quiet way he asked the question, Daphne's heart beat faster and she couldn't' ignore the nervousness that crept inside, causing her to quickly look out the window.

"I-I don't know what you mean... You're me friend and I care about you..."

Niles took her hand in both of his and caressed it gently before bringing it to his lips for a kiss. The mere touch of his lips against her skin brought forth an emotion that she had no idea existed.

"I'm glad you feel that way Daphne, because I care about you as well. And I can't imagine what I would have done if the situation were reversed and it was you in this hospital bed instead of me. I don't think I could have stood knowing that you were as sick as I have been. And when I think about what you did for me last night... and today..."

It was the most he'd said since he'd awoken the first time, and she could no longer ignore the tears that slid down her cheeks. Pretending that the tears were non-existent, she gently rubbed his hand, careful to avoid touching his IV.

"Dr. Crane... You are my friend and what I did isn't anything special. Your brother was the one who drove you to the hospital. I just went along."

"Yes, Daphne but you stayed."

"Well... I-I'm sure that your brother and father would have stayed. It's just that your father..."

"... is nowhere near as caring and kind as the woman I'm looking at right now." Niles finished. "I mean, I love Dad unconditionally, but..."

Her cheeks began to burn and she could barely bring herself to look at him.

"Thank you so much, Daphne."

"You don't have to keep saying _thank you,_ Dr. Crane."

"All right. Then will you allow me to express my gratitude in another way?"

She blinked in surprise. "_Another way_? I-I don't understand."  
He cupped her face in his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. And as he did so, she closed her eyes, covering his hand with hers.

She felt his breath on her face, followed by his lips...

The unexpected sensation almost made her pull away, but there was something about the way he was kissing her... And no sooner had the kiss begun, it ended... leaving her wanting more.

Reluctantly she drew back and stared at him, amazed to find that he wore an expression that mirrored what she was feeling.

Neither of them spoke and as she leaned to kiss him again, the door opened, startling them apart.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Daphne rose to her feet and stepped aside to allow Dr. Jensen to approach Niles' bedside. But she made sure that she kept his fingers entwined with hers.

"How are you feeling, Dr Crane?"

He sighed with relief. "Much better than I have in a while."

Dr. Jensen scribbled on his clipboard and smiled.

"That's what we like to hear. But as a precaution, I'm going to leave the IV in for a few more hours, just to make sure that we've flushed all of the bacteria and infection away. And then I'll have someone release you later this evening. So if you want to call your family and let them know-."

Daphne squeezed Niles' hand and then let go.

"I'll call them."

But instead of rushing out of the room to call Frasier when Dr. Jensen was gone, she took a moment to look at Niles. And as her fingertips brushed against his cheek, she found that she wanted so much to kiss him once more. But he was extremely tired and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"I'll be right back."

True to her word, she returned a few minutes later and went to his bedside, taking his hand once more.

"Your brother said to tell you that he loves you and to call when they release you."

"Thank you, Daphne. But you didn't have to do that. I'm sure that Frasier would have called sooner or later."

"I know... but I wanted to."

Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"Well..." Daphne finally said. "I should probably be going home. You need your rest. Sleep well, Dr. Crane. I'll be back with your father and brother to pick you up."

"Actually, Daphne-."

She whirled around to face him.

"Yes?"

"Would you do me a favor? I know I have no right asking, since you've done so much for me already."

"That's nonsense. Of course I'll do you a favor! What did you need?"

He smiled sleepily. "Daphne, would you... Stay with me for a little while longer?"

The request surprised her but she couldn't help but smile and she stroked his hand once more.

"All right. I'd be glad to. It's been nice sharing your company, even if it is in this dreadful hospital. And I am getting a bit tired, so perhaps while you're sleeping off the medication, I'll just sit in this chair over here and-."

"There's plenty of room, here if you want to join me."

She could not have been more stunned if he had climbed out of bed and dropped to one knee to propose to her.

"W-what?"

"You must be cold and that chair doesn't look very comfortable."

"It's fine, Dr. Crane. In fact-."

But he was already pulling the blanket and sheet back in order for her to climb into bed with him.

"I-I don't know if this is a good idea. I-I mean... what would your brother think? And the doctors?"

"Frasier's not here and he won't be here until I call him. And as for Dr. Jensen, I think he's more concerned with my health than my personal life. Daphne, I'm not trying to be foreword. I just want you to be comfortable."

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and realized how disappointed he'd be if she declined his more than generous offer.

"Well... All right."

She took off her shoes and tried to ignore her heartbeat which was so rapid that she was sure that he could hear it. Then as carefully as possible, she climbed into bed next to him.

Almost instantly she cuddled against him telling herself that it was best this way due to the small size of the bed. But the way he put his arm around her and pulled her closer made her think otherwise.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" she whispered.

"No..." He said so softly that she barely heard him. "Goodnight, Daphne."

Their faces were so close that there was nothing left to do but kiss him. And when the sweet kiss ended, she sighed contentedly as she cradled her head against his chest.

"Goodnight Dr. Crane."

She closed her eyes and slowly began to drift off to sleep. But seconds later, her eyes flew open and she returned to the present.

"You know, Dr. Crane... I was just thinking... We're going to have a lot to talk about when we get home and you're feeling better of course. But until then, I'll make sure to take very good care of you."

"Sounds wonderful... my love..." he said dreamily.

She was certain that he had no idea what he was saying, or what she'd just told him... but it melted her heart just the same.

And she knew that no matter what happened when they arrived home, she was enjoying this blissful moment. She would always love Dr. Niles Crane, be it romantically or as a dear friend... in sickness and in health.

**THE END**


End file.
